Scan barcode
katyk321's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nancyadelman's review against another edition
3.0
10 year old Karen likes monsters. She imagines herself as a werewolf. She draws in her notebook to pass the time, frequently monsters and ghouls. When one of her neighbors, a holocaust survivor, dies suddenly, she decides to investigate her death. She keeps her notes in her diary, the same notebook that she draws in. Along the way, she learns how the past and the present come together.
I wanted to like this story so much. And I could not read it in one sitting like most other graphic novels because of it's size. I felt like the story kept drifting off on these tangents, and I kept getting lost, and having to circle back and re-read parts and figure out what I missed and then go on again for a while, only to find yet another tangent. It was exhausting. Karen is a precocious but lovable character. She always depicts herself as a dog in a trench coat, as a werewolf private investigator. She lives with her mother and her much older brother, DZ. There is a fair amount of sex shown on the page with DZ and his lady friends, and I think some occasional use of alcohol too. The artwork alone is really great. The artistry is really incredible. She goes from a simple black and white comic, to a full color comic, to a full-on depiction of multiple major paintings, including Sunday in the Park by Seurat which she portrayed in a pointillist type, just like the painting itself. I am giving this book three stars just for the artwork.
I wanted to like this story so much. And I could not read it in one sitting like most other graphic novels because of it's size. I felt like the story kept drifting off on these tangents, and I kept getting lost, and having to circle back and re-read parts and figure out what I missed and then go on again for a while, only to find yet another tangent. It was exhausting. Karen is a precocious but lovable character. She always depicts herself as a dog in a trench coat, as a werewolf private investigator. She lives with her mother and her much older brother, DZ. There is a fair amount of sex shown on the page with DZ and his lady friends, and I think some occasional use of alcohol too. The artwork alone is really great. The artistry is really incredible. She goes from a simple black and white comic, to a full color comic, to a full-on depiction of multiple major paintings, including Sunday in the Park by Seurat which she portrayed in a pointillist type, just like the painting itself. I am giving this book three stars just for the artwork.
bartleybranson's review against another edition
I don’t know if I’m going to rate this.
I absolutely loved and appreciated the artwork, which was stunning. I loved seeing the world and these characters through Karen’s eyes. And just the general concept was ingenious!
However, the plot went in so many different directions that a lot of the time I didn’t know what was going on. The ending was also a total cliffhanger that was confusing imo.
I really liked it but didn’t fully connect to it. If the story was a little tighter and the main plot line was focused a little more, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more in the end. Will I read the sequel?...I’m not sure.
Still, I highly recommend this!
I absolutely loved and appreciated the artwork, which was stunning. I loved seeing the world and these characters through Karen’s eyes. And just the general concept was ingenious!
However, the plot went in so many different directions that a lot of the time I didn’t know what was going on. The ending was also a total cliffhanger that was confusing imo.
I really liked it but didn’t fully connect to it. If the story was a little tighter and the main plot line was focused a little more, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more in the end. Will I read the sequel?...I’m not sure.
Still, I highly recommend this!
roxiesaurusrex's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t use enough superlatives to describe this book and I can’t wait to read part II. This book is so excellent. The art alone is unbelievable; if I couldn’t read a word, I would still carry this around and sigh over the artwork. This is just everything I want in a graphic novel: the art is gorgeous, the interwoven plot lines are interesting, it’s funny and moving and complex. Just... swoon.
maryharker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
3rdrate's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I cannot believe I’m giving a book with such gorgeous art 2.5, but honestly, without a story to justify it, the whole thing comes off as beautiful sprawl, like a gorgeous strip mall that just goes on and on. When I got to the end of the book, I could not imagineit was enough of the story to tell to hesitate and entire second. In fact, at that point, I wasn’t even sure what mystery was left to wrap up. It is insane that the writer was unable to tell this story in one and what should be gorgeous peaches to be slowly digested just comes off as fat.
happyofme's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
explodingalice's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life.